Tile casting installation



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 D. M. WHITE E=E LE E5 TILE CASTING INSTALLATION July 13, 1965 Filed May 11, 1962 ATTORNEY 5 July 13, 1965 D. M. WHITE 3,193,903

T'ILE CASTING INSTALLATION Filed May 11. 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .z' E E INVENTOR .10. 7 %M 71% Q4 y,,-. 4. ,L BY W n ATTORNEYS July 13, 1965 p. M. WHITE 3,193,903

TILE CASTING INSTALLATION Filed May 11 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 'INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,193,903 TILE CASTING INSTALLATION Donald M. White, Hialeah, Fla, assignor to Nordon, Inc, Fort Lauderdale, Fla, a corporation of Florida Filed May 11, 1962, Ser. No. 194,054 2 Claims. (CI. 2543) This invention relates to tile casting and more particularly to machines involved in the rapid and expeditious manufacture of roofing tiles of superior strength and uniformity.

The general object of the invention is to provide novel and improved apparatus for casting and treating roofing tiles, which are exceedingly versatile in that more than one type or configuration of tile may be produced in a continuous manner, and novel selective treatment of the tile material during formation of the tile effected automatically according to the particular type arriving at the treating station.

The invention in its preferred embodiment contemplates the provision of a machine or installation comprising an endless chain conveyor provided with supporting means and dividers for the accommodation of a series of pallets shaped to receive batches of the proper plastic mix according to the nature of the tile to be produced, for example cement, light-weight or heavy concrete or the like. The pallets are placed serially upon the conveyor and are carried progressively through the pouring, rough shaping, tamping, agitating, packing, trimming, and coating stages.

The ability to cast and treat different types of tiles in the same machine and in continuous fashion is of considerable economic importance in that it renders it unnecessary for a small manufacturer to buy or build, and operate and maintain two or more machines, and employ additional crews of operators. It also obviates the need for shutting down operations to rebuild or reconstruct a single machine in attempting to convert from one style of tile to another.

In producing certain types of roof structures in wide use in southern climates, the greater portion of the area of the roof is provided with the conventional shingle type of tiles, but the rows of tiles at the eaves are of the thick butt variety. Thus, the ratio of conventional shingle tiles to the thick butt tiles may be in the neighborhood of approximately thirty-one to one, and the conveyor in the present machine is arranged to accommodate about thirty-one times as many shingle type pallets as thick butt pallets and these several accommodations may be provided indiscriminately along the conveyor as desired.

In forming the thick butt tiles the material directed into the deeper butt portions of the pallets might turn out to contain air pockets or voids and be of poor consistency, were they not tamped or agitated as they are being formed. Thus, the invention contemplates the provision of special tamping means for these thick butt tiles which are brought into actuation only upon the approach of a thick butt tile pallet to the treating station. The portions of the conveyor accommodating the thick butt pallets are provided with tripping means which automatically start and stop the tamping device at the proper times to appropriately treat the thick butt tiles. The normal or conventional shingle type pallets pass through the tamping area while the tamper is in retracted or idle position.

Among the features of novelty may be recited the novel means for tamping the material of certain of the tiles which havedeeper portions than normal, means for agitating the material of the tiles just prior to reaching the final packing or extrusion shoe, and improved means for levelling and trimming the tiles and for applying a top coating thereto.

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent rom the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

3,193,963 Patented July 13, 1965 In the drawings:

FIGURE 1- is a somewhat diagrammatic view in side elevation of a tile casting and treating installation embodying the principles of the invention, certain portions thereof being shown in vertical longitudinal section;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the conveyor which transports the tile carrying pallets through the machine;

FIGURE 3 is a view in transverse vertical section taken approximately on line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view mainly in longitudinal vertical section through the tamping portion of the installation and illustrating the successive positions of the tamping probes;

FIGURE 5 is a view in side elevation of a packing and gauging shoe used in shaping the tiles;

FIGURE 6 is a view of the same part in front elevation;

FIGURE 7 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the installation showing the construction of the trimming roller;

FIGURE 8 is a view in vertical longitudinal section of a finishing stage showing the means for applying the coating of masonry paint or other surface coating to the tiles;

FIGURE 9 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on line 9-9 of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary plan view of a corner of one of the tile carrying pallets;

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary view in perspective of the forward portion of a thick butt tile such as may be formed by the installation shown; and

FIGURE 12 is a similar view of a conventional shingle tile which may also be produced by the installation.

Progressive tile casting machines wherein pallets for receiving the tile forming material are carried beneath a hopper for depositing the material upon the pallets and then through various finishing devices are of course well known as a genus, and the basic structural features relating to the conveyor and the general supporting framing will be described but briefly in the present specification, emphasis being reserved for the novel sequence of operations and certain specific treatments which are peculiar to the present invention.

The basic framing includes the tracks shown fragmentarily at 12 in FIGURES 2, 3 and 9. These track members may be provided upon their upper surfaces with metal strips 13 upon which the side pieces 14 of the conveyor structure rests. The conveyor structure as a whole is given the general designation 15 and comprises the endless chain 16 trained around the terminal sprockets 18 and 19 at the respective loading and discharging ends of the installation.

At intervals along the chain 16 the pallet supporting fiight assemblies 20 are secured. As probably best shown in FIGURES 2 and 8 of the drawings these flight assemblies comprise side pieces I4, already referred to in connection with FIGURES 3 and 9 and the transversely disposed pieccs 21, 22 and 23.

The cross pieces 21 and 23 comprise standard angle shapes, but each one preferably has a vertically adjustable strip 25 secured to its upper edge and providing means for direct contact with the under sides of the tile carrying pallets. Each of the flight installations 20 supports adjoining edges of adjacent pallets and the support of any single pallet is shared by adjacent portions of successive flights. At the center of each of the flight structures 2G is a transverse partition 27 which separates the pallets and the tile forming material carried thereby. These partitions 27 are carried centrally of the middle transverse plate members 22, and upon each side of each partition 27 there are disposed upright plates 28 and 29 which support the forward and rearward edges of the pallets in a manner similar to the strips 25 carried by the vertical flanges of the cross members 21 and 23.

This basic structure has been'adapte-d by means of the 1 present invention to not only improve the shaping and treatment of the tiles, but also to provide for the appropriate diiferential handling of thick butt and ordinary shingle til-es. Mereily as exemplary disclosures, a thick butt tile isillust-rate'd at B'in FIGURE 11 ofthe drawings and the' rather deep flange or butt portion 30 is indicated at the forward edge. Also, as in conventional tiles of this type the side flange 31 is provided by means of which the tile is interlocked laterally with an adjoining tile. The side flange or tongue portion 31 is interrupted at thefo rward corner of the tile as shown. g V

In FIGURE 12 of the drawings an ordinary relatively flat shingle type of tile. isindicated at C. There is no depending thick butt portion in this case, but the lateral.

interlocking fiange 32 is provided and this flange is also cut away at the corner of the tile to facilitate the, joining of adjacent tiles.

Naturally, in producing both of thes'e'types of tiles in the same machine the pallets upon which they are cast must'va'ry and this will be understood from the sectional views illustrating the two types of pallet which occur in FIGURES 1, 4, 7 and 8 of the drawings. The pallets for transporting the regular shingle tiles are designated D and those for transporting the thick butt tiles through the installation areindicated at E.. Both of these pallets.

are corrugated longitudinally'as best shown in FIGURE 7 of the drawings to provide the downwardly projecting ridge portions 35, the lower h'orizontalportion 36 and the raised horizontal portions 37, 38 and 39. One corner of the pallet is cut away as indicated at 44) in FIGURE and the rear portion '42 which confines the deep or'thick butt'area 30 of the tile B is stepped as shown and supported by the rather short upstanding strip 29a which corresponds to the strip 29 which supports thetrailing edge ofjtheregular pallet'D. Thus, by the provision of selective trailing edge supports 29jor 29a the stations on the conveyor for the reception of the two typesof pallet D and E, are definitely predetermined and as suggested r r v d and 54 which depend sufiiciently to laterally pallets as they pass through.

The rear-wall 55 of the hopper 5th is provided with an opening at its lower edge which, together with the primary gauging or packing shoe 61), determines the initial thickness of the material on the palletspassing from the hopper. A bracket 61 secured to the wall 55 accommodates one embrace the or more vertical stems 62 for the shoe 6t} and one or more,

threaded bolts 63 extend through a portion 64 of the tram ing structure andthe shoe 61) maybe adjusted vertically byrotating the screw 63 by applying a suitable tool to the head 65, This shoe permits the passage of a slight excess of tile material upon each pallet as it passes from the hopper 50 into the agitating compartment 66. If the tile passing through the agitator compartment 66 from the zone of the hopper is of the ordinary flat type, it is acted 1 upon only by'the rotary agitator or paddle wheel 67 as it 7 approaches the rear wall of the compartment d6.

7 This agitator wheel may comprise .a drum 69 and the blades 7%) audit rotates incounterclockwise direction to scrape or skive a portion of the excess material comprising the top surface of the tile and force some of the material through'the outlet of the compartment 66 which is determined by the vertically adjustable wall 72 to the bottom through which two adjusting rods 79 extend. The rods are securedto brackets 80 attached to the upper edge of the wall 72 and may be adjusted as by means of the nuts 81. A pair of bracing pieces 84 extend downwardly from the cross piece78 and are provided with the bolts 85 which pass through slots 86 in the wall 72 and nuts 87 are applied to the endsof the bolts 86, thewhole structure serving as a stabilizer means for the gauging wall and shoe.

' Further along theframing structure are two uprights 90 which are provided with inwardly extending bars 91 through which extend the horizontally adjustable brace rods 92, one end of each of the rods being formed with a fork 93 adapted to embrace the ears 99,4 of the brackets 95 secured to the rear face of the partition or wall 72. Rotating of the nuts 96 will aifordjthe proper adjustment of the bracing'of the gauging shoe'75.

'The shoe 75 affords a finer regulation of the thickness of the tile and together with the compacting agitator device 67 provides an effective extrusion means for the tiles treatment during the course of their passage through the V installation, it is quite necessary that the proper pallets be applied tothe proper stations on the conveyor and this I is assured as well as can be bythe provision of a lamp or other signal device suggested at P which is connected by means of the circuitry 45 with a limit switch indicated diagrammatically at G,"the trigger or actuator 46 of which is disposed in the path of a trip finger 43 carried by one of the flights 20 designed for the reception of a thick, butt pallet.

Sulficient advance'warning is thus given, taking into consideration the speed of movement of the pallets as they pass along the conveyor upon the'pallets.

Next in lme in the treatment ofthe tiles is the trimming roller 100, the construction and installation of which is best' shown in FIGURE 7 of the drawings. Uprights 101 are disposed upon the respective sides of the conveyor installation and adjustably. fastened to the supports 102 are the bearing brackets 103. For this purpose the Q brackets 193 are provided with slots 104 which adjustably 106 and 107 which are threaded through flanges 108 and- 60 receive the screws and a finely regulatable adjustment for the bearing brackets. is afforded bymeans of the screws 109 fixed tothe-supports 1412. It will be readily seen howupon looseningthe securing screws or bolts 105 the ad ustmg screws 106 and 107 may be rotated to move the brackets upwardly or downwardly as required. 1 Q The roller 11ft) itself comprises the shaft 110 which is trtinnionedin bearings carried by the'brackets 103 and which carries a pulley 111 atone of its ends whereby it a may be driven from a" suitable source of power.

tion of thehopper 50 which contains the cementitious.

material of which the tiles are cast, this material being .in

a plastic or semifluent state and comprising a suitable mix depending upon the nature of the. tile to be cast.

This mass of material in the hopper is indicated at 51'and it will be clearly'understood how a'layer of the material is deposited upon the pallets as they pass through. As in dicated in FIGURE 3 the hopper 5t) has side wa lilsj53 The roller 1% itself comprises the tubular portion or drum 112 which is provided with a plug disc 113 within oneiof its' ends iand a larger disc or block 114 at its opposite end. Inst inwardlyof the plug discs 113 and 114 are the collars 115 which may be adjustably fixed to the 'shaft 11'tlfas byrneans of, the set screws 116.

f large end fiange' surrounds the shaft atone rend ofthe drum 1121- and a somewhat srnallerflange 122 is disposed at the opposite end. Portions of the shaft 110 are threaded as at 125 and 126 and nuts 127 and 128 are screwed thereon, the nuts being brought to bear against the end flanges 120 and 122 to firmly clamp the various parts in place.

Surrounding the end block or plug 114 is the ring 130 which is clamped between the adjacent end of the tubular drum 112 and the end flange 122. This ring is for the purpose of trimming one edge of the tile in accordance with the rabbeting feature which provides the interlocking flanges 31 and 32 as indicated in FIGURES 11 and 12 of the drawings.

The initial rough forming shoe 60 is provided with a block along one of its edges (not shown) which forms a rabbet in the tile as it passes from the hopper, and the finer gauging shoe shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 of the drawings is provided with a block 125 which maintains the rabbeting and .efrectively'compacts the portion of the tile beneath the block in the same way as the main portion of the shoe 75 treats the wider spread of the body portion of the tile.

Now when the tile comes to the position beneath the.

trimming roller 1% the ring 130 completes the trimming operation upon the rabbeted portion as clearly shown in FIGURE 7.

Next in line along the upper run of the conveyor is the coating applying compartment 150. This device is most clearly shown in FIGURES 8 and 9 of the drawings where the side walls are indicated at 151, the far end Wall at 152, this end wall carrying a finely adjustable gauging plate or shoe 155.

The tiles trimmed to substantially their final size and configuration by passage beneath the roller 100 are brought between the side Walls 151 of the compartment 158 within which is deposited a mass of semi-fluid coating material or masonry paint indicated at 157. Extending outwardly at the upper portions of the side walls 151 are the plates 160 and secured to the upper edge of the adjustable end wall 152 is a cross plate 162. Threaded through openings near the ends of the plate 162 are the adjusting screws 163 which are provided with heads 164 to which a suitable tool may be applied. The lower ends of the screws 163 bear upon the bracket plates 160 and it can be readily seen how the wall 152 may be raised and lowered as necessary.

further cross piece 165 extends across the compartment 150 from one side wall 151 to the other and threaded through an opening in this cross piece 165 is a rod 168 provided with an adjusting head 169 and a lower end which enters the sockets of the member 178 secured to the upper plate 171 of the shoe 155.

A block of rubber or other resilient material indicated at 172 is disposed within the socket to cushion the contact of the shoe 155 with the adjusting rod 168.

The inclined shoe or gauging plate 155 may thus be regulated quite accurately to adjust the discharge end of the arrangement at 175 to deposit a thin layer of coating as for example, of a thickness of say of an inch.

As the tiles pass beyond this point and just before the flights 20 round the delivery end of the conveyor represented by the sprocket 19, the pallets and the tiles resting thereon are removed from the conveyor by an operator.

Thus far the account of the novel method and apparatus is as it applies to the production and treatment of tiles of conventional thickness, some of the important features of this phase of the operation comprising the relationship of the several gauging and packing shoes, the provision of the agitator within a separate subsequent compartment as related to the hopper, and the novel construction of the trimming roller.

Now, the operations attendant upon the production of a thick butt tile differ somewhat from that just described in that immediately the tile passes the initial or rough gauging shoe 60 it is .subjected to a tamping operation effected by the following means.

A bracket is secured conveniently to a portion of the hopper 50 and upon the end of the bracket there is pivotally mounted a reciprocating fluid pressure motor 181 of any suitable type either pneumatically or hydraulically actuated. Extending from a piston (not shown) within the cylinder 181 is the downwardly extending rod 182 to the lower end of which is secured the compres sion or tamping bar 185. Carried by the cylinder 181 of the fluid pressure motor are the solenoids 186 and 187, these solenoids being connected by suitable circuitry respectively with the limit switches 188 and 189.

Now when the trip finger 48 on one of the thick butt pallet carriers of the conveyor trips the trigger finger 190 of the switch 188, the solenoid 186 is energized to project the rod 182 and the tamping bar 185 downwardly toward the tile and the bar 185 enters the material of the thick butt portion 30 of the tile B in order to tamp the material and pack it uniformly in the bottom lip portion 42 of the pallet E.

The several stages of operation of the tamping device are illustrated most clearly in FIGURE 4 of the drawings and the operation will be clearly understood from an inspection of this figure in connection with the general view shown in FIGURE 1. The rods 182 are urged toward the left in both figures of drawing as by means of the springs 193, one end of each of which is connected with the clip or bracket 194 on the rod 182 and the opposite end may be secured to the head 65 of the adjusting screw 63 for the first gauge shoe or to any other relatively fixed portion of the frame. This spring serves to urge the compressor or tamper bar 185 against the adjustable stop bolts 195 carried by the bracket 196.

Secured to a fixed portion of the frame as for example the upright 198, is one end of a telescoping guying or bracing and stabilizing element 200 the opposite end of which is pivotally secured to the clip or bracket 281 carried by the tamping rod 182.

The operation of the tamper will now be understoodespecially as viewed in FIGURE 4 of the drawings. Upon energizing the fluid pressure motor 181 the rod 182 is projected downwardly and the tamping bar 185 moves from position I to position II where the bar 185 probes into the thick butt portion 30 of the tile E thus exerting a packing influence upon the material and eliminating possible voids. The tamper may thus be regarded as comprising movably interconnected sections 181 and 182 adapting it for radial projection away from and retraction toward the horizontal axis of swinging movement defined by the pivotal mounting of its motor section 181. It will be noted that this axis extends transversely to the path of movement pursued by the conveyor so that the depending free end 185 of the tamper or bar may swing through an are which is in a plane parallel to the movement of the conveyor. It should be realized that the conveyor is continually moving and the bar 185 is carried forwardly within the thick butt portion until it reaches the point indicated by the reference numeral III whereupon the trip finger or tripping means 48 on the conveyor flight contacts the trigger 205 of the switch or control 189 and this serves to energize or activate the solenoid 187 which reverses the action of the motor 181 and raises the tamping bar 185 toward the position indicated in FIGURE 4 at IV. Depending upon the strength of the spring 183 and the rate of extensibility of the stabilizer guide member 280, the tamping arrangement is brought back to position I from position HI and comes to bear against the stop elements 195 until again actuated by the approach of the thick butt tile carrier.

Thus it will be seen that the selective treatment of the thick butt tiles is accomplished automatically and such treatment bypassed upon the passage of a tile of normal thickness. Otherwise, the treatment of the thick butt tiles is the same as that described in connection with the conventional ones.

It is understood that various changes and modifications sin-93390:? 7

may be made in the embodimentillustrated andid'escril'ied herein without departing from the scope or 'the' as defined by the following claims. I Having thus described the" invefnf'on, What is claimed as new and desired to be secured Letters Patent-is:

1'. A tile: casting installation comprising ifi c'ombjin'ainvention tor the arrival of adepressed thick-butt pallet atthe loading end of the conveyor; and actuating rneans for said signal, a' portion'of's'aid actuating means'e'xtendin'g into the'path ofsaidt'riggr means whereby the trigger is adapttion, a supporting frame;-an endless conveyor extending a linearly from a loading end of saidv franietoi a: delivery end; flight structures on 'said conveyor" defining resting places conformed to the bott'orn ,configilration of pallets: for receiving and transporting tile material through the installation from" the receiving point to the pointof de{ livery, a predetermined ercentage of said fliglitKstruc-f tujres conformed to fit pallets with depressed" portions to. form thick-butt tiles and theremainder toffit shallow pallets for thinner gauge't il s'; a hopper disposed above aninte'rinediate portibn 6f the run Jo'f said conveyor for successively charging pallets placedijon- 'said conveyor with tile forming material; reciprocating tamping means:

adapted to'be projected intoinaterial occupying the" depressed portions 'of the pallets for thick-butt tiles; power, means" for projectingfand retracting said'tainping means;

tur'es only, for actuating said tamper projecting and're;

2, The installation as setlfor'th in claiin' "1' in which the appropriate thick arid. shallow p'allts' are appliedto the differentlysliaped flightstriictnre's 'by an operator,

an'd'there is' rovided a signal fdr indicating'tosaid Opera 5* ed to trip the actuating means to -operate the signal.

' References Cited bytheExaminer V V UNI'TEQSTATES PATENTS Rel -1'2,619' 3/07 Lynn 25 -1 692,778 2/02 B c'irrovve et air 25 21 29 73; 3/19 Adani's .6., 25 21 1 ,377 ,1 88 -5 21-, Dornine 25 43 1 2,588,595 3/52 Wa1ner, -25-1 2,641,819 6/53 Pea'vy 25-43 XR 5" 2,644,217 *7/53 1 2, 50,403 9/53 2,683,297 77/54 1 2,752,656" 7/5 Riitg'ers 'g5 42 2,948,043 8/60 Gory 25-42 2965,9492 1'2/60' L6ag; r 43 7 2,976,595 3 61 c6616 -25 2,981,996 5/61 Pea'vy 2-5 43 *3,122;s12 5/64 Gory'; 2-5 43 25 I i FOREIGNhPATENTS' 1 345,465 1o/o4ir anceg 430,555 6/35 Great Britain; V MICHAEL v. BRINDISI, Primary Examiner.

' ROBERT F. WHITE, Examiner. 

1. A TILE CASTING INSTALLATION COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SUPPORTING FRAME; AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR EXTENDING LINEARLY FROM A LOADING END OF SAID FRAME TO A DELIVERY END; FLIGHT STRUCTURES ON SAID CONVEYOR DEFINING RESTING PLACES CONFORMED TO THE BOTTOM CONFIGURATION OF PALLETS FOR RECEIVING AND TRANSPORTING TILE MATERIAL THROUGH THE INSTALLATION FROM THE RECEIVING POINT TO THE POINT OF DELIVERY, A PREDETERMINED PERCENTAGE OF SAID FLIGHT STRUCTURES CONFORMED TO FIT PALLETS WITH DEPRESSED PORTIONS TO FORM THICK-BUTT TILES AND THE REMAINDER TO FIT SHALLOW PALLETS FOR THINNER GAUGE TILES; A HOPPER DISPOSED ABOVE AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE RUN OF SAID CONVEYOR FOR SUCCESSIVELY CHARGING PALLETS PLACED ON SAID CONVEYOR WITH TILE FORMING MATERIAL; RECIPROCATING TAMPING MEANS ADAPTED TO BE PROJECTED INTO MATERIAL OCCUPYING THE DEPRESSED PORTIONS OF THE PALLETS FOR THICK-BUTT TILES; POWER MEANS FOR PROJECTING AND RETRACTING SAID TAMPING MEANS; AND TRIGGER MEANS CARRIED BY SAID THICK-BUTT FLIGHT STRUCTURES ONLY, FOR ACTUATING SAID TAMPER PROJECTING AND RETRACTING MEANS, WHEREBY SAID TAMPING MEANS IS ACTIVE ONLY WHEN A THICK-BUTT TILE PALLET IS DISPOSED BENEATH IT. 